J.K. Rowling Apologized for Killing Off Dobby from "Harry Potter"

He was the real hero of the series.

Did the death of Dobby the house elf in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows absolutely devastate you? Same, and we’re not alone. Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling is also sad about the traumatic loss of the sweet little guy in the final book, despite the fact that the series wrapped in 2007. (Then again, if you keep rereading them, they never really end, right?)

J.K. took to Twitter on the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts to discuss Dobby’s death, writing that she apologizes for the elf’s loss.

“It’s that anniversary again,” she wrote. “This year, I apologize for killing someone who didn’t die during the Battle of Hogwarts, but who laid down his life to save the people who’d win it. I refer, of course, to Dobby the house elf.”

Dobby was a fan favorite since the minute he debuted in the second book, and some were devastated about his death at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange not too long after he was freed from service to the Malfoy family. Ever the helpful elf, Dobby died helping to save Harry, and gave his life to help good defeat evil once more. No one who’s read the series or seen the movies will forget his iconic quote, “Dobby is a free elf!” (Seriously, it’ll be etched on our brains for life — and don’t even get us started on his death scene!)

In the past, J.K. has apologized for the deaths of other characters too, like Fred Weasley and Severus Snape. The May 2 apology has become somewhat of a tradition for the author and Potter fans everywhere, who poured into J.K.’s mentions to share their love for the elf with his creator. One wrote, "At first I didn't like Dobby, but I wish I could be more like Dobby, his death in book & on film always makes me cry."